The efficiency of the p ‐version finite element method in a distributed computing environment

The p ‐version of the finite element method is now commonly considered to be a very accurate discretization method for linear elliptic partial differential equations, but many researchers still doubt the efficiency of this method, when compared to the classical h ‐version and applied to more complex problems. This paper will first discuss some general considerations about the efficiency of a numerical method and then present results on an evaluation of the p ‐version. It will be shown, that there are many special techniques being applicable to the p ‐version, yielding a well‐performing and robust method. This will be demonstrated on several examples, including non‐linear problems and a parallel implementation on a workstation cluster. A client–server software structure for an efficient integration of CAD and FEA using a strict separation of geometric and non‐geometric aspects will also be outlined. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.